Frost makes journey on Leh road risky

Dipender Manta

Tribune News Service

Manali, November 12

The journey on the Manali-Leh highway has become a risky affair as frost has started to deposit on roads in higher reaches in tribal district Lahaul and Spiti.

Himachal Road Transport Corporation (HRTC) had stopped its bus service to Leh on September 15, while the movement of private vehicle was going on.

Every year during summer after opening of the Manali-Leh Highway by Border Roads Organisation (BRO) authority, the district police administration Lahaul Spiti sets up a police check post at Sarchu to help tourists. The check post remains functional till winter depending on weather conditions.

Locals say the temperature has plummeted up to freezing point these days due to which frost has started to deposit on the road at many places. These are the stretches where the possibility of direct sunlight is zero. Due to frost, the road becomes slippery for movement of vehicle, which may prove disastrous for visitors in the region.

The pass connects Lahaul Spiti district in Himachal Pradesh to Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir.

Shyam Singh, a native of Lahaul, said the temperature had dipped drastically to freezing point giving rise to frost deposition here.

Sensing the snowfall threat, the district police administration has removed its police check post from Sarchu pass and urged the visitors to avoid journey on this road.

Talking to The Tribune, Superintendent of Police Lahaul Spiti said, “We have removed the check post from Sarchu because snowfall may occur any time depending on weather condition. Due to its high altitude the region experiences heavy snowfall every year. Now visitors are advised to avoid journey on this route in view of their safety concern. If anybody still moves the local police should be informed.”

Regional Manager of the HRTC depot at Keylong, Mangal Chand Manepa said that taking into account security concerns for safe public transport, the HTRC bus service to Leh had been suspended on September 15, while the movement of HTRC buses toward Kaza had been stopped at the end of October.

He added that the bus service between Kullu and Keylong was still continuing. The continuation of the service will depend upon the weather conditions in coming days.